while driving home from class last night, i seriously considered getting rid of my car.
it’s going to be thirteen this coming april and it’s really starting to show its age. i haven’t been that kind to it, really. i babied it quite obscenely when it was new and there was a hose and outlet so close to its parking spot, but when i moved back to the cruel city… well, you know, nothing gold can stay, as mr. frost wrote.
there are so many strange noises, smells and vibrations that i don’t trust the car’s safety any longer. i quite honestly expect the thing to burst into flames or an axle to fall off. it’s come down to deciding whether it is worth the, probably close to, $3000 in repairs to ensure another five years of trouble-free driving. while that amount is certainly less than the cost of a new car, or even a new, used car, it is just too much for me to spend on a car whose black book value hovers around $1000.
so, on this drive home, i did some quick mental math and discovered that right off the bat, not driving my car will save me $2300 per year. that’s just taking insurance and fuel into consideration. if i totalled up the amount of money i’ve spent on repairs in the last five years… no, that wouldn’t be a good idea. i’d rather live in ignorant bliss, thanks.
i don’t need a car. i get transportation through work. i also now live in a neighbourhood where i can satisfy almost all my retail needs simply by walking a couple of blocks. if i had to buy large, heavy items, i know that my dad, or even meghan, would be willing to help me transport things. even then, there are such things as taxies and rental cars. there are thousands of people who don’t have vehicles of their own and they don’t seem to be suffering all that much.
so why does the thought of no longer having a car freak me out so much?
the other alternative is to keep the car, but change the insurance to pleasure only. that way i still have it for personal use and it wouldn’t be subjected the the daily commute and that would, hopefully, prolong its life by a few more years. but, there’s still the matter of repairs. will having it sit idle for days at a time cause more trouble or will it benefit from the rest? it’s not like the car is a self-repairing entity like the human body. a week off won’t heal its strained struts or creaky cylinders.
then there’s the time issue. my work day is 7:30-4:00. right now, if i leave home by seven, i’m almost guaranteed an on-time start and it’s rare that i get home any later than 4:30. if i were to rely on public transportation to get to and from work those hours are magically transformed to 6:00-5:30. that’s an extra two hours every day i’ll be spending travelling. up until now i’ve justified driving to work by saying my time was worth more than those two hours. now? i’m not so sure anymore.
there are benefits to taking transit. i could catch up on my reading. i’d see more interesting things to take photos of. i’d get exercise. who knows, i might even meet new people! but, i’d have to get up at five a.m. five days a week. oy.
what’s a girl to do?